In the construction industry, particularly with single family homes, townhouses and condominiums, there has been increasing use of factory-built, prefabricated metal chimneys for use with interior fireplaces, wood stoves, and even with normal gas furnaces. These chimneys vent the spent gas from the fireplace, stove or furnace to the atmosphere normally at a legislated height above the roof of the residence.
Depending on the location of the fireplace, stove or furnace, these chimneys may extend substantially horizontally through a sidewall of the dwelling before extending substantially longitudinally perpendicularly along the outside wall of the dwelling to the predetermined height or they may extend through an interior wall of the dwelling into a utility room or attached garage before extending substantially longitudinally vertically through the roof of the dwelling with a substantial portion of the vertical portion of the chimney within the dwelling itself.
In either instance, it is normal procedure to support the vertical portion of the chimney with a support plate which is proximate to the position where the chimney changes direction from the horizontal to the vertical. It is also normal practice in the industry to provide for a cap or plug on the lower portion of the vertical section of a chimney known as the cleanout tee to facilitate the removal of accumulated soot and debris on a regular basis. Normal procedure is for either a frictionally-engaged end cap or plug or a cap secured by circumferential set screws to be placed at the bottom of the vertical section of the chimney, below the horizontal portion. This cap can be removed and soot and other accumulated debris can be cleaned out or can fall naturally under the influence or gravity to a container for removal.
Since the combustion process generates corrosive gases, these end caps, and in particular, the screws which secure them, deteriorate to the point where the screws rust permitting the end cap to fall off or the end cap itself deteriorates such that the end cap is capable of falling out.
If the end cap were to fall out, the homeowner is faced with the consequences of having possible noxious and toxic fumes exit the chimney within the dwelling place and may quite possibly subject the dwelling to a fire hazard as a result of this cleanout tee being located proximate to the fireplace, stove or furnace such that hot gases would exit the cleanout tee and ignite flammable material proximate to the chimney which could include the exterior sidewall of the dwelling unit if the design of the chimney were such that the vertical section was located parallel to the sidewall. There have, in fact, been reported cases of fires as a result of the deterioration of the end caps.
The Applicant's invention relates to a locking bar secured to the support plate and designed to frictionally engage the bottom of the end cap to prevent its inadvertent release from the chimney. Regular inspection of the end cap is still required to determine deterioration of the end cap, but Applicant's invention prohibits inadvertent removal of the end cap regardless of deterioration.